There have been some notable changes around our company in regard to water filtration. To gain a better understanding of the new facets of filtration and its impact on our facilities and our customers, Hannah Popish, Coffee Buyer’s Agent, sat down with Bryan Duggan, Technical Department Manager and lead mastermind of the new system.

H: What made you realize it was time for a change in regard to how we manage water filtration at our headquarters?
B: Well, we changed filtration here because we started working with WateRx in New York. We were looking for a better option to recommend for our customers (cafes), and a great coffee shop called REX told us about these WateRX. All the units are really customizable so the water qualities can be exactly as you want them to be. The three units we have here are made so that we can change the makeup of the filters internally and thus the taste of the water pretty easily.

H: What can you tell us about WateRx and why did you decide to use them?
B: WaterRx is a company based out of Cincinnati, Ohio, and they are a national water filtration brand. We decided to go with them because the filters are super reliable, they need very little service and upkeep and they last significantly longer than any other filters we’ve used in the past. This ties into the green aspect of the filter—the medium, meaning the filtration material, is all natural minerals and rocks. Once you need a filter change you can dump it outside with no issue and no disturbance to the natural environment. We were really sold when we realized how durable the filtration is and it’s unique ability to process large volumes of water—the filters never break!

H: Can you give us a breakdown of how the filtration works?
B: First, water enters through the top of the unit and then there are three layers of medium (made up of rocks, sand, salt, and resin) that remove unwanted items from the water. Unwanted items include bacteria, rust, dirt, chlorine, arsenic, mercury, odor, and color.

H: What is the key takeaway for people who don’t know much of anything about water, water filtration, and its impact on coffee and the environment?
B: Number one would be that properly filtered water makes your coffee taste better. Second and equally important is that adequately filtered water makes your machines last longer. Sustainably speaking, the tanks we are using now only have to be recharged 50,000 gallons, or every 12-18 months, and can be reused. Our previous filters only lasted 3-6 months and had to be thrown away.

H: What does “adequately filtered water” mean exactly?
B: The simple answer is that it is water that is free of chlorides, arsenic and anything harmful. The water also has a balanced hardness. We have used the set of parameters that La Marzocco recommends for our water.

H: What else do you want us to know about the filters?
B: The big filter that we use in the coffee and tech departments track the amount of water used. The tracking means that you can check on averages used and you can decide if you need to reduce your usage and it allows you to know your carbon impact. Also, this makes it easier to know when you need to “recharge” the system, meaning, swap out the old filtration material.

H: Who currently uses this filtration?
B: A handful of our accounts are already implementing the new filtration: Open City in Washington DC, OK Café in Astoria, NY, Brunswick in Brooklyn, and Big Bear in Washington DC. In terms of our training centers they are in place in NY, Atlanta, Washington DC, and Durham and we are recommending the filtration for all new accounts in those areas.

H: What’s next in the world of water filtration?
B: We will continue to develop our water parameters so that we can make the water taste as delicious as possible for our coffees. As we calibrate we will move this filtration into all of our TCs. WateRx is a great partner to continue to work with!

Normally, we don't visit Ethiopia and Kenya in July. The harvest is long past, and the coffees—hopefully—have long-been shipped. However, this year, with so many projects we are working towards, we knew that spending more time face-to-face with the people we are working with was going to be needed.

A few of you also know that I have a 8-month-old boy. And, even though his middle name is Addis, after Ethiopia of course, leaving him to go to Addis Ababa and other countries in Africa is tough. So my plan: 4 countries, 11 days. Not only were Kenya and Ethiopia musts, Rwanda and Burundi are just finishing up their harvest for the year, and this is normally the time I get to catch up with the producers of Buziraguhindwa, Mpemba, and Remera. So that was a must, as well.

With that please take a stroll through, my 4/11 trip report.

Honestly, this whirlwind trip showed me how important working with the right people is to the success of any coffee and any project.

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Seasonal Shift

We chose this week’s three coffees because they’re all new, which is a very good reason for all of us to taste them and a tried-and-true recipe for a fun Friday morning at Counter Culture Coffee.

Style of Tasting

Cupping

Pretend it’s 2010, back before we began questioning the sanctity of the three-coffee-Friday-cupping formula, and line these suckers up.

Notes on the Coffees

This is the first year we have decaffeinated coffee from La Voz in Guatemala and I’m sure glad we did, because this is a really good decaf from a coffee grower group we really like working with. It’s challenging to keep decaffeinated coffees tasting fresh and we work hard to offer single-origin decafs that meet the same standards for quality, transparency and relationships as our more popular, celebrated, caffeinated single-origin coffees. It takes a while to get coffee to Swiss Water Decaf in Vancouver and then back down here, and in this case, in the time between this coffee’s shipment from Guatemala and its arrival in Durham, we managed to sell through all of this year’s caffeinated coffee from La Voz. Fear not, it will return next year and meanwhile, I encourage you to treat this decaf with respect because it’s a far sight better—by any measure—than what most decaf drinkers are used to imbibing.

We have all become familiar with Concepcion Huista over the past few years, which is the name of the town in northeastern Huehuetenango where the Codech co-operative has its headquarters. Coffee arrives at Codech from a myriad of communities and farmer groups around Concepcion Huista and this year, one of our goals with the co-op was to isolate a few communities where we knew, based on topographical information and our tasting experience, that some of the best coffees were growing. This week we taste coffee from farms in and around Pojtaj (pronounce the j with an exhalation most similar to the h for something resembling pohhh-TAHHH), which is one of two single-community lots we have. We haven’t yet decided whether we want to sell Pojtaj or Tzunhuitz (zoon-WEETS) straight, but regardless, you all have a fruity, community-specific coffee to look forward to, as well as a single-farmer lot from a fellow named Pedro Gomez. We have invested a lot of time and energy into Codech because we have tasted coffees from here that are unique in flavor among other Guatemalan coffees and because their growing conditions are among the best in Central America.

The last time we tasted Apollo, it was 100% Haru and I believe I included as a caveat that it might not stay that way for long. Today we taste Apollo made with Idido Grade 2, which is a perfect harmony between coffee and product. According to the Ethiopian system for grading coffees, grade 2 coffees receive less sorting than grade 1 coffees and as a result are a less expensive and generally a little bit less refined (note that I said generally - in fact, in some years from some places, grade 2 coffees have actually out-scored grade 1 coffees). The jury is still out on whether it’s always worth the extra money for the top grade, but in Idido’s case this year, grade one takes top billing so we are selling the fruitier, cleaner Idido Grade 1 straight right now and roasting Idido Grade 2 a little bit darker for Apollo.

Rollout Dates and Availability

Decaf La Voz is available to sell Friday and will be available for the next few months, while Pojtaj (or Tzunhuitz) will roll out another week or so later and probably not last as long. Apollo is available year-round and will be Idido Grade 2 for a while, unless it changes, in which case, we’ll let you know and you’ll likely taste it.

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Constructing the Blend – Part 2 of 2

Just when you finally eliminated the word “blend” from your vocabulary, we throw you a curveball by the name of Equilibrium. But before you roll your eyes and/or sigh loudly, you should taste this coffee because it’s really, really delicious.

Though we have worked hard to transition many products-formerly-known-as-blends to flavor profiles that are embodied by one single-origin coffee, we would never suggest that two delicious coffees together can’t be greater than the sum of its parts. Making that harmony work requires flexibility, though, and year-round products with flavor profile parameters—let’s call them old school blends—don’t offer that at all, so Equilibrium represents a foray into a new school. This blend is not driven by a need for consistency, but rather by the idea of capturing something fleeting, so once it’s gone, it’s gone. It probably won’t come back. Ever. When we run out of one of the components, or when coffees begin fading, or when we have another interesting flavor (or flavor combination) to present, this coffee will disappear like a single-origin coffee and we’ll move on to the next season.

Hannah put it well last week when she said, “Equilibrium is three of the most delicious coffees available to us in summer and early fall, and they somehow become even more delicious, bright, and complex when combined together.” Having tasted the components, I hope you can better appreciate the interplay of flavors in the blend.

Notes on the Coffees

As a nod to its name, Equilibrium is made up of equal parts of three coffees.

33% Idido, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia

Our first lot from the Idido cooperative in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia represents a select group of 200 of the most dedicated farmers. These farmers turned in their best cherry at the peak of the 2013-2014 harvest season for this washed, special-preparation coffee. Notes of melon, orange blossom, and citrus.

33% Concepcion Huista, Huehuetenango, Guatemala

One of the most highly anticipated Central American coffees we offer, Concepción Huista delivers yet again! This year—our fourth working with the Codech cooperative—we continued to focus on buying smaller lots in order to capture higher quality from particular geographic regions within the cooperative’s reach. Look for softer flavors of creamy caramel and sweet plum.

33% Ngunguru, Nyeri, Kenya

Ngunguru is one of three members of the Tekangu cooperative society. When we went looking for great Nyeri coffee this year, we knew we had to share Ngunguru's coffee with you. Lush, complex notes of raisin and sweet savoriness abound.

Rollout Dates and Availability

Equilibrium rolled out last Friday in some sparkling new packaging. We anticipate it will stick around through September or October, but with the way it tastes now, why wait?

One of our good friends in the Durham, NC, area, Merge Records is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. This coming weekend, July 23-26, they are having a four-day music festival in Durham and Carrboro, NC.

We'll be there on Saturday, July 25, brewing up iced coffee, along with several other local vendors. If you'll be in the area, we'd love to see you!

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Deconstructing the blend – Part 1 of 2

In years past, we have worked hard to transition many of our "blends" to become flavor profiles that can then be best served by one single-origin coffee, two if push comes to shove. Our rationale has been twofold: one, make transparency easier—there's no hiding the coffee when it's the only single-origin—and two, by necessity, intentionally trying to move through coffee within a timely fashion to maintain freshness. But, we know that combining coffees together for flavor purposes is not inherently a bad thing.

On Monday, we will be introducing a new type of blend. The debut incarnation is called Equilibrium! The underlying idea here is that we don't really think of it as a blend, at all. Rather, Equilibrium is three of the most delicious coffees available to us in summer and early fall, and they somehow become even more delicious, bright, and complex when combined together.

Style of Tasting: Cup the Components

This week, as a precursor to the arrival of Equilibrium, we will taste each of the parts that make up the whole. We'll suggest cupping the three side by side to showcase what each brings to the table. You may then decide to brew or do whatever else you like with the crowd favorite.

While tasting, encourage people to think about what the three coffees might taste like together. As a teaser, let them know if they come back to the tasting next week, we'll delve more into the philosophy and future of coffees like Equilibrium.

Notes on the Coffees:

As a nod to its name, Equilibrium is made up of equal parts of three coffees that are already known to us, the first two, Idido and Concepción Huista, more so than the third, Ngunguru, which, of course, just graced our roasters for the first time this past week.

33% Idido, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia
This first lot from the Idido cooperative in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia, represents a select group of 200 of the most dedicated farmers. These farmers turn in their best cherry at the peak of harvest for this washed special preparation coffee. Notes of melon, orange blossom, and citrus.

33% Concepción Huista, Huehuetenango, Guatemala
One of the most highly anticipated Central American coffees we offer, Concepción Huista delivers yet again. This year, our fourth year working with the cooperative, we continued to focus on buying smaller lots in addition to volume—trying to capture higher quality from particular areas within the cooperative. Look for softer flavors of creamy caramel and sweet plum.

33% Ngunguru, Nyeri, Kenya
Ngunguru is one of three members of the Tekangu cooperative society. When we went looking for great Nyeri coffee this year, we knew we had to share Ngunguru's coffee with you. Lush, complex notes of raisin and sweet savoriness abound.

Availability:

Equilibrium will be available with all of its brightness and juiciness on Friday, July 18. We anticipate it will stick around through September or October, but it's a new item so why not try it at its debut in case it disappears quickly!

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Pulp Up the Volume

We’ve got Finca El Puente’s coffee on our tables for at least the third time in the past month, if you count Pro Dev, but lest you think we’re treading known ground, let me assure you that this week’s tasting of their later-harvest lot and their pulp natural is the one that has me the most excited of all!

Notes on the Coffees

The flavors of the pulp natural coffee will undoubtedly register more interest than the washed will, so let’s begin there. Over the past ten years, we have tasted scores of pulp natural coffees hailing from every country in Latin America and we have asked almost every farmer and producer group we work with to experiment with this style of processing. Most of the time, these coffees turned out fine but not nearly as good as washed coffees from the same producer and, on a couple of occasions, the pulp natural lots went awry and tasted like rotten fruit and phenol defect.

Despite those failures, we keep trying because we know that post-harvest processing is not a binary of washed and sundried natural styles (or a ternary that includes pulp naturals). In fact, within the category of washed coffees alone there exists enormous diversity in technique, from the calibration of de-pulping machines to the fermentation and washing vessels, and these differences lead to varying percentages of mucilage left on washed parchment when it dries. To put it another way, in terms of fruit-on-parchment, some of the coffee we buy from El Salvador is probably as close (in fruit-on-seed terms) to today’s waterless pulp natural from Finca El Puente as it is to our washed coffees from Ethiopia. That spectrum offers a lot of flavor possibilities and also, I can’t resist mentioning, a lot of opportunity for water conservation.

Let’s get back to today’s table, though. Finca El Puente’s pulp natural is awesome. AWESOME. This is the most balanced pulp natural coffee I have ever tasted: intensely fruity but still bright and juicy and without a hint of earth. We can attribute these great flavors to Finca El Puente’s control of the process and their cold-but-dry wet mill, but still, we were surprised by how much we liked this and our wheels are already turning about how to incorporate some of these characteristics into the washed coffee. As with all experiments, we started with a small quantity (six bags in this particular lot), but based on this coffee’s flavors, I’m sure we’ll increase that volume in years to come, not to mention using what we learn about their process to inform other growers undertaking similar trials.

The washed lot gets short shrift in today’s notes, but it bears mentioning that it’s very good and we’re quite pleased both with it and with our decision to split the total amount of washed coffee we bought in two and ship the first half when it was ready as opposed to waiting for a full container. We were able to sell Finca El Puente’s coffee earlier than in past years and use the early-harvest coffees while they were at their peak, as opposed to letting it age in Honduras and then blending it with fresher lots from later in the harvest, thereby dulling the flavors of the second lot. This is the kind of decision-making that goes on to make coffee taste better that most people don’t realize, which is totally understandable given that the point is for our customers to notice coffee improving and not to teach them about shipping schedules. This is the kind of execution we’re capable of now that we never would have dreamed about a few years ago and having jumped through these hurdles, I can’t help but sigh (inaudibly, I hope), when I overhear people here in Durham say that our coffee was better back in the day when we were a smaller company. Not so! Coffees like this week’s result directly from our experience, relationships and scale.

Rollout Dates and Availability

The second washed lot has already replaced the first as single-origin Finca El Puente. The Pulp Natural lot rolls out today and we only have six bags of it, so get your orders in now, friends!

Our new pourover iced coffee video is short and sweet and easy to use. This (phone-friendly) tutorial breaks down the simple steps for delicious pourover iced coffee into a quick lesson that anyone can use and enjoy.

We've gone on record (once or twice) as really loving this method for iced coffee. The results of brewing directly onto ice are a bright, vibrant expression of the coffee that is incredibly refreshing.

To celebrate both the new video and this month's Featured Coffee, Idido (which happens to be perfect for brewing over ice), our #AnyCoffeeAnyBrew Instagram contest for July focuses on ... iced coffee. No matter how you make it, post a photo of whatever coffee you're drinking iced on Instagram and tag #AnyCoffeeAnyBrew for a chance to win our weekly prize of a bag of our July Featured Coffee, Idido!

The video was shot at our Durham HQ by Graphic Designer Christy Baugh—with set design/production assistance from her fellow designer Katie Parland—with Tech Manager Bryan Duggan as the "lead actor." (Web Content Manager Cameron Gatling makes a cameo at the end as "coffee drinker #2.") Music for the video was written and recorded by Production Associate Thomas Costello.